1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to animal care, and more particularly to containers for litter for receiving the waste of household pets.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Litter boxes are well known to urban pet owners, and in particular cat owners. Litter boxes typically contain a granular adsorbent material for adsorbing pet waste and the accompanying odors. Often an open box is used, with the result that odor control is at best only partially effective, whatever the specific material used as an adsorbent. Animals are apt to scatter soiled litter and waste from open boxes when entering or leaving the boxes, and by instinctively "digging" into the adsorbent.
The animal waste itself represents a potential health hazard to the pet owner and others, and especially to pregnant women.
Closed boxes large enough to accommodate household pets such as cats can be difficult and uneconomical to manufacture, store and ship. On the other hand there is a need for an easy to use enclosed container for pet litter which can reduce the potential health hazards associated with contact with the animal waste, and which can be readily disposed of after use. Numerous attempts have been made to address the problem. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,581,977, 4,711,198, 4,782,788, 4,846,103, and 4,940,016 each provide collapsible, disposable litter boxes. However, each of these has significant shortcomings. For example, the litter box shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,016 requires multiple tabs between sides and portions of the top of the container to be engaged when the container is opened, and disengaged when the container is closed prior to being discarded. This can be time-consuming and potentially very frustrating. Similarly, the box shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,103 requires several steps to set up or take down. The box shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,198 appears very easy to set up and take down, but provides only limited room for the animal inside the box, given the amount of floor space it requires. The boxes of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,581,977 and 4,782,788 are each only partially enclosed. There is a continuing need for an easy-to-use disposable litter container, which protects against exposure to soiled litter and the dust associated with it.